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Aaron Wilbraham ticked all the right boxes for Phil Parkinson as he searched for a target man this summer.
The well-travelled 37-year-old arrived on a free transfer on Thursday and goes straight into the squad to face Leeds United.
He had been pencilled in for coaching duties at Bristol City – but Parkinson insists he is only focussing on what the former Norwich and Crystal Palace man can do on the pitch.
“He’s come here purely as a player,” he told The Bolton News. “We looked at it, with the restrictions in place, big target men are very difficult to get.
“We looked at a lot of different options and spoke about Aaron earlier in the summer but weren’t able to do it then. We just feel he fits what we want.”
Wilbraham took his UEFA B badge in the summer and is looking to move into coaching eventually but Parkinson insists he has plenty to offer for Wanderers.
“He’s a great role model for our younger players in the way he trains and conducts himself,” he said.
“We brought him in to do a fitness assessment and he looks in great shape, albeit he had an injury early in pre-season and hasn’t quite had the minutes on the pitch yet.”
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The well-travelled 37-year-old arrived on a free transfer on Thursday and goes straight into the squad to face Leeds United.
He had been pencilled in for coaching duties at Bristol City – but Parkinson insists he is only focussing on what the former Norwich and Crystal Palace man can do on the pitch.
“He’s come here purely as a player,” he told The Bolton News. “We looked at it, with the restrictions in place, big target men are very difficult to get.
“We looked at a lot of different options and spoke about Aaron earlier in the summer but weren’t able to do it then. We just feel he fits what we want.”
Wilbraham took his UEFA B badge in the summer and is looking to move into coaching eventually but Parkinson insists he has plenty to offer for Wanderers.
“He’s a great role model for our younger players in the way he trains and conducts himself,” he said.
“We brought him in to do a fitness assessment and he looks in great shape, albeit he had an injury early in pre-season and hasn’t quite had the minutes on the pitch yet.”
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